The scent is unmistakeable; hints of nettle and boxwood, of passion fruit and peach, followed by zesty lime freshness: this is the Sauvignon Blanc we all recognise. Subtler versions have restrained aromas and, if you are lucky, wonderful depth that speaks of site and soil, rounder versions are smooth with oak which brings out the exquisite, full-fruited juiciness at the heart of this variety. It is successful when it is flamboyant and convincing when it is demure. Sauvignon Blanc is one of the world’s most sought-after grape varieties. Its history is long, its rise has been stellar.
Global Sauvignon Blanc plantings have doubled from just over 65,000 hectares in 2000 to almost 130,000 in 2020. Looking back one decade further, there were just 46,000 hectares in 1990, amounting to an almost threefold increase of global Sauvignon Blanc in three decades. What better proof could there be of Sauvignon Blanc’s absolute and enduring popularity?
Calculations by the University of Adelaide show that Sauvignon Blanc was the world’s “most expanded” white grape variety of the past decade. Interestingly, most of this growth has been in the New World, far away from the variety’s origins in the temperate regions of central France.
The origins and nature of Sauvignon Blanc
Genetic studies surmise that Sauvignon Blanc must have originated somewhere in central France. Its earliest mention dates to 1534 in the Loire Valley when French writer François Rabelais mentioned it under the local name of Fiers. It first appeared as Sauvignon Fumé of Blanc Fumé in the central Loire and is the grape behind the famous wines of Sancerre and Pouilly-Fumé. It is not mentioned until the early 18th century in Bordeaux where it is a key variety in the dry white wines of Bordeaux, namely those of Graves and Pessac-Léognan where it is usually blended with Sémillon.
Sauvignon Blanc loves cooler climes and feels at home in the temperate latitudes of the northern and southern hemispheres, its early to mid-ripening nature has lent itself to cooler inland and brisk coastal areas.
Climate is key to its vivid aromas: from cooler to warmer areas its herbal savour ranges from green bell pepper, cut grass and nettle via boxwood to tomato leaf. Its fruit spectrum takes in the sharper end of citrus, from lime via grapefruit to lemon, as well as white and yellow fruits from apple tartness all the way to tropical richness – especially the tangy ripeness of passion fruit. But while these flavours were always there, it took a certain winemaking style to actually express them.
Flavour – at last!
It took a while for the breakthrough to happen, but when it finally did its impact was tremendous. In the mid-1980s the wine world was a different place: Europe’s classic wines held sway, at least in the UK wine market, and the so-called ‘New World’ was just emerging. Wine was still seen as somewhat elitist and appellations like Chablis, Sancerre and Graves often were the dry white wines of choice, supplemented by Italian Soave, very restrained, often to the point of near neutrality. When suddenly wines were poured that were redolent of lime and passion fruit, nettle and grass, when zesty citrus hit the pleasure centres of the brain and made the mouth water, there was real excitement. What was this alluring, highly scented white wine that packed such a punch and was so refreshing and easy to drink? That was New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc. A white wine like it had never been tasted before.
A Kiwi coup
At the time, New Zealand’s wine industry was small and dominated by high-yielding Müller-Thurgau that would ripen in the cool climate but made rather uninspiring wines. Government premiums were paid for grubbing up vineyards and in 1981 there were just 2,600 hectares of vines in New Zealand.
But some enterprising spirits had planted Sauvignon Blanc, thinking it might suit the climate. Their hunch was right. Marlborough’s cool but sunny, coastal climate and its poor, free-draining soils suit the vigour of Sauvignon Blanc. Winemaking also played a decisive role. Vinifying Sauvignon Blanc in temperature-controlled stainless steel unleashed all its vibrant aromatic potential. With its pungent flavour and tropical headiness, Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc was a completely new style of wine.
Montana, now known as Brancott Estate, was a big and corporate player in New Zealand with land in Marlborough. They first harvested Sauvignon Blanc in 1979 with a first proper vintage in 1980, putting some volume behind the emerging phenomenon. Smaller players also started making Sauvignon Blanc. When an Australian, David Hohnen of the Cape Mentelle estate in Margaret River, Australia, tasted Sauvignon Blanc that had been made in Marlborough, on the northern tip of New Zealand’s South Island, he sniffed opportunity.
He founded Cloudy Bay, released the first vintage in 1985 and the rest is history. Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc became a runaway success: despite its premium price it was affordable and available...
New Zealand today
Marlborough in the north of the South Island, now as then, is the centre of Kiwi Sauvignon Blanc. Today, there are 26,559 hectares of Sauvignon Blanc in New Zealand, 23,834 hectares of which are in Marlborough. The broad Wairau Valley produces wines with fruitier, riper flavours. The Awatere Valley to the south is cooler and favours greener notes, sometimes even of pea shoot and green asparagus.
New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc still enjoys a top spot in the UK white wine market. But where pungency once was the rule, a still vibrant but more elegant style has taken over. The passion fruit, peach and lime notes are as pristine as ever, but there is altogether more harmony in these wines than there used to be.
Ben Glover of Zephyr wines in Marlborough has seen the Sauvignon Blanc story from its beginnings: “With barely 35 years under its belt, Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc has demanded and still does demand a place at the top table of desirable white wines globally,” he says.
“From humble, gutsy, pioneering beginnings of small producers to large corporates eyeing the golden goose, it has grown to an industry exporting over a billion New Zealand dollars.”
He notes that the very small harvest of 2021 and the impact of the Covid pandemic are “catalysts providing positive disruption and change” from what also is often seen as an extreme version of industrial farming. “Luckily for Sauvignon Blanc, there are a few boundary-pushing winegrowers that are exploring the spectrum of what this variety can be.”
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South Africa
South Africa’s Sauvignon Blanc story also is one of expansion: the area planted increased from just 5,436 hectares in 2000 to 9,844 in 2020. It is the third-most planted white grape variety and its presence has grown despite South Africa’s vineyards generally contracting – demonstrating the increasing importance of Sauvignon Blanc to South Africa’s wine industry. It thrives across the Cape winelands and is outstanding in sites close to the ocean.
While South Africa, just like Chile, followed in New Zealand’s footsteps initially with a leafy, herbaceous style, today South Africa is one of the most exciting countries for different expressions of Sauvignon Blanc.
Rüdiger Gretschel, technical director at Vinimark and longstanding winemaker at Reyneke Wines, notes: “In terms of South African Sauvignon Blanc, we have walked such a path; initially trying to mimic New Zealand, we did ourselves no real justice with that. Now we are starting to see a focus on how and where we grow the grapes, now Sauvignon Blancs from South African wine regions are all markedly different – that is exciting. That is how it is supposed to be. It is a wonderful grape to really show versatility from a regional point of view. You can distil it down to a single vineyard.”